JP2614333B2 - Recording device having carriage bearing member and image reading device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus having a bearing member provided on a reciprocating carriage slidably supported by a shaft member and an image reading apparatus having the bearing member. It concerns the device.

BACKGROUND ART In a printer, a reader, or the like, a carriage on which a recording head and a reading element are mounted reciprocates while being guided by a shaft. Lubricating oil is used to lubricate the bearing mechanism. . In this case, since the area of the bearing portion of the slide portion is relatively large, the loss of the lubricating oil is large, and for this reason, there are many examples in which an oil pad impregnated with the lubricating oil is arranged.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a carriage on which a reading element of an image reading device is mounted as an example for explaining such a bearing mechanism of the slide portion. In this figure, a halogen lamp 17 and a reading port 16 are used as reading elements.
A, a reflection shade 16 and a light shielding plate 18 are respectively denoted by reference numerals.
In addition, 19 is an electric component, and 19A is a cord.

Since a rail shaft 1A is inserted into the carriage 14 and a belt 15 is hooked thereon, the belt 15 is pulled by a drive source (not shown), and the image is read by sliding left and right in the direction of arrow B. Perform the operation. A bearing 13 is disposed between the carriage 14 and the rail shaft 1A, and an oil pad 6 impregnated with lubricating oil is disposed between the two bearings to supply lubricating oil.

FIG. 6 shows that a collecting felt (hereinafter also referred to as a collecting pad) 7 for collecting the lubricating oil pushed out from between the bearing 13 and the shaft 1A is provided on both sides of the two bearings 13. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration, whereby effective use of lubricating oil is achieved. Reference numeral 8 denotes a holder for the collecting felt.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, in the case of an apparatus for reading or recording an A4 document with a width of 10 mm, the carriage reciprocates 30 times because the A4 vertical dimension is 297 mm, and 50,000 sheets are printed. However, a device with a long life needs to guarantee 1.5 million reciprocating operations. There is no problem if refueling is performed several times during the service life for equipment that is serviced by a serviceman. Become.

However, even if the configuration shown in FIG. 6 is adopted, it is difficult to retain the lubricating oil for a long period of time. May be done.

Therefore, the amount of lubricating oil is increased, but a phenomenon occurs in which a part of the lubricating oil drips from the end face of the bearing 13 as shown in FIG. Therefore, there is a problem that the waste of the lubrication is not often extended, and consequently the life of the lubrication is not extended much.

Further, in a configuration in which the collecting pad 7 is not provided, since the lubricating oil flows out from both end surfaces of the two bearings 13, there is a problem that the lubricating oil is further wasted.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention for solving the technical problem of presenting such various problems includes a “carriage for slidably supported by a shaft member and reciprocating a recording head”. A sliding surface that slides on the shaft member, a storage portion for receiving and storing the lubricating oil overflowing from the sliding surface, and provided between the sliding surface and the storage portion. A guide surface for guiding the lubricating oil overflowing from the sliding surface to the storage portion, and one end opening to the sliding surface and the other end being disposed on the storage portion and provided on the guide surface. And a concave portion for guiding the lubricating oil stored in the storage portion to the sliding surface, and a bearing member for the carriage, the recording device comprising:

And a carriage for slidably supported by the shaft member for reciprocating the image reading head, a sliding surface sliding on the shaft member, and lubrication overflowing from the sliding surface. A storage portion for receiving and storing oil, a guide surface provided between the sliding surface and the storage portion for guiding lubricating oil overflowing from the sliding surface to the storage portion, A concave portion that is provided on the guide surface and is provided on the guide surface and guides the lubricating oil stored in the storage portion to the sliding surface, with a side opening to the sliding surface and the other end side disposed in the storage portion. And a bearing member for the carriage provided with the image reading device. "

[Operation] According to the present invention, the lubricating oil overflows from the sliding surface that slides on the shaft member and receives the lubricating oil. By providing a concave portion that resupplies the stored lubricating oil to the sliding surface by using the capillary phenomenon, the lubricating oil received by the storing section is stored by the capillary phenomenon according to the decrease of the lubricating oil on the sliding surface. The optimal amount is stably re-supplied to the sliding surface in the shortest path,
Manufacture and assembly of a bearing member that greatly extends the life of a sliding member can be performed very easily.

Also, if the shape is such that the storage portion approaches the shaft member at a location away from the recess, this portion becomes a bank,
Further, lubricating oil can be stored.

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a main part including a carriage according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, the left and right bearings 3 are symmetrical to each other. Other parts are the same as in the example of FIG.

A bearing 3 is connected and fixed to a carriage 2 having an eave 5 serving as a storage part, and connects an inner peripheral portion and an outer peripheral portion as sliding surfaces, that is, a shaft (rail) 1 and a bearing 3. The bearing 3 is provided with a groove 4 which is a concave portion as a path for lubricating oil so as to communicate between the portion between the eaves 5 and the eaves 5.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the bearing 3 of FIG. 1 in detail. The bearing 3 is provided with a plurality of grooves radially.

Next, the operation and effect of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b).

A part of the appropriate amount of lubricating oil contained in the oil pad 6 (FIG. 1) is absorbed by the collecting pad 7, but the rest overflows from the end face of the bearing 3 and 9 in FIG. Settle on the eaves 5 as shown in the figure. Since the eaves 5 have a sufficient length according to the amount of lubricating oil that accumulates, all the overflowing lubricating oil accumulates here. Since the groove 4 is provided on the end face of the bearing 3, the lubricating oil fills the groove 4 by capillary action and is connected to the lubricating oil on the sliding surface 10.

This is fundamentally completely different from the example of FIG. That is, the force of the lubricating oil spreading on the sliding surface 10 and the force of the lubricating oil overflowing are balanced, and the state shown in FIG. 3A is created.

Here, if the lubricating oil on the sliding surface 10 of the bearing 3 decreases due to wear, the above balance is lost, and the lubricating oil 9 on the eaves 5 travels along the groove by capillary action in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3 (b). It goes up and spreads on the sliding surface 10 to be stabilized under a new balance.

As described above, the lubricating oil 9 gradually drained due to the consumption of the lubricating oil on the sliding surface 10 returns to the sliding surface 10, so that a sufficient amount of the lubricating oil can be used up without waste.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a bank 11 is provided on the eaves 5. According to this embodiment, a larger amount of the lubricating oil 12 can be stored, but it goes without saying that a bank may not be provided as in the embodiment of FIG. 1 depending on the required lubrication life.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the eaves 21 are integrally provided on the bearing 13 itself, which is substantially the same as the above two embodiments. In the present invention, the eaves may be cylindrical as in this embodiment, and the shape is not particularly limited as long as lubricating oil can be stored.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a groove 22 and an eave 23 are added instead of eliminating the collecting pad, and the lubricating oil communicates with the sliding surface by using both the groove 4 and the groove 22. Depending on the required lubrication life, this method is fully satisfactory.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the shape of the groove 4 is changed. As in the present embodiment, the groove does not need to be straight, and it is sufficient that the sliding surface and the eaves communicate with each other. Further, it is not always necessary to provide a large number of grooves, and it is sufficient that at least one groove is provided at a portion where the lubricating oil drips as in this embodiment.

In this embodiment, the lubricating oil can be efficiently circulated by setting the width of each groove described above to be about 100 μm or more and about 5 mm or less, preferably about 2 mm or less. However, the present invention is not limited to the above numerical values, and the width of the groove may be appropriately selected according to the amount of circulating oil circulated.

In the present invention, what is placed on the carriage is not limited to the above-described reading element,
Various types such as an ink jet head and a thermal head can be used. Among them, the present invention is particularly effective for a cartridge type ink jet head in which an ink tank for storing ejected ink is integrally provided. The reason is that, in this cartridge type ink jet head, the weight of the head itself changes relatively greatly as ink is consumed, so that the lubricating oil tends to spread on the sliding surface 10 and does not overflow. This is because the above-mentioned technical content of the present invention, in which the force to be balanced, is effectively used.

In addition, the present invention is particularly applicable to a recording head of a bubble jet system among ink jet recording systems, a recording apparatus,
It has excellent effects.

Regarding the representative configuration and principle, it is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740,796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and the continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it is arranged corresponding to the sheet or the liquid path holding the liquid (ink). By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recording information and giving a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling to the electrothermal transducer, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, and the recording head This is effective because it is possible to form a bubble in the liquid (ink) by one-to-one correspondence with the drive signal as a result of film boiling on the heat-acting surface. The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble to form at least one droplet. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable. This pulse-shaped drive signal is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,359.
No. 4,434,262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the invention relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination of the ejection port, the liquid path, and the electrothermal converter (the linear liquid flow path or the right-angle liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, a thermal action is provided. A configuration using U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,600, which discloses a configuration arranged in a bending region, is also included in the present invention. In addition, JP-A-59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an aperture for absorbing pressure waves of thermal energy. The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on JP-A-59-139461, which discloses a configuration corresponding to a discharge unit.

Further, as a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length can be reduced by a combination of a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above specification. Either a configuration that satisfies the above or a configuration as a single recording head that is integrally formed may be used, but the present invention can more effectively exert the above-described effects.

In addition, a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be electrically connected to the apparatus main body and supplied with ink from the apparatus main body by being attached to the apparatus main body, or provided integrally with the recording head itself The present invention is also effective when a cartridge type recording head is used.

It is preferable to add recovery means for the printhead, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like, which are provided as components of the printing apparatus of the present invention, since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. To be more specific, a capping unit, a cleaning unit, a pressure or suction unit, a preheating unit using an electrothermal converter, another heating element, or a combination thereof, for the recording head. Performing a preliminary ejection mode in which ejection is performed separately from printing is also effective for performing stable printing.

Further, the printing mode of the printing apparatus is not limited to the printing mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but may be a printing head integrally formed or a combination of a plurality of printing heads. The present invention is extremely effective for an apparatus having at least one of the full colors.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, one end of the guide surface guides the lubricating oil to the storage portion for receiving and storing the lubricating oil overflowing from the sliding surface that slides on the shaft member. The opening on the sliding surface and the concave portion with the other end arranged in the storage section provide the lubricating oil received in the storage section in the shortest path by the capillary phenomenon according to the decrease of the lubricating oil on the sliding surface. Obtaining a recording device and an image reading device which can manufacture and assemble a bearing member capable of stably supplying an optimum amount to a sliding surface and greatly extending the life of a sliding member, and Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a main part including a carriage according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a bearing according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 (a). (B) and FIG. 4 are cross-sectional views for explaining the operation and effect of the present invention according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a prior art showing a carriage on which a reading element of an image reading device is mounted as an example for explaining a bearing mechanism of a slide portion. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view according to the prior art showing a configuration in which collecting felts for collecting lubricating oil pushed out from between the bearing and the shaft are provided on both sides of the two bearings. FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view according to the prior art showing a main part including the bearing of FIG. 8, 9 and 10 are cross-sectional views showing another embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a shaft, 2 is a carriage, 3 is a bearing, 4
Is a groove, 5 is an eave, and 6 is an oil pad.

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] A carriage slidably supported by a shaft member for reciprocating a recording head; a sliding surface sliding on the shaft member; and a lubricating oil overflowing from the sliding surface. A storage portion for receiving and storing, a guide surface provided between the sliding surface and the storage portion for guiding lubricant oil overflowing from the sliding surface to the storage portion, and one end side A concave portion which is provided on the guide surface with the other end side being disposed in the storage portion and guiding the lubricating oil stored in the storage portion to the slide surface, while being opened to the sliding surface. And a bearing member for the carriage. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage section includes an eave-shaped extending member that faces the shaft member and extends in the axial direction of the shaft member. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the eave-shaped extending member has a length sufficient to store the entire amount of the lubricating oil overflowing from the sliding surface thereon. . 4. The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the storage portion has a portion for storing lubricating oil having a shape approaching the shaft member at a position away from the recess. The recording device according to any one of the preceding claims. 5. A carriage slidably supported by a shaft member for reciprocating an image reading head, a sliding surface sliding on the shaft member, and lubricating oil overflowing from the sliding surface. A storage portion for receiving and storing the lubricating oil, a guide surface provided between the sliding surface and the storage portion for guiding lubricating oil overflowing from the sliding surface to the storage portion, one end side; A recess provided on the guide surface with the other end side disposed in the storage portion and guiding the lubricating oil stored in the storage portion to the slide surface while opening the other end to the storage portion. And a bearing member for the carriage. 6. The image reading apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the storage section includes an eave-shaped extending member that faces the shaft member and extends in the axial direction of the shaft member. . 7. The image reading device according to claim 6, wherein the eave-shaped extending member has a length sufficient to store the entire amount of the lubricating oil overflowing from the sliding surface thereon. apparatus. 8. The storage device according to claim 5, wherein the storage portion has a portion for storing a lubricating oil having a shape approaching the shaft member at a position away from the recess. The image reading device according to claim 1.